The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Math. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elementary
Washington Elementary, a neighborhood public school in Oshkosh serving kindergarten through fifth grade, sits in a central part of the city that mixes historic residential blocks with the civic and industrial character of this Lake Winnebago city. The school itself occupies a building on Winnebago Avenue, a street that runs through a part of town with older homes and a quieter, more established feel than the newer subdivisions farther from downtown.
The student body is just under the size you might expect for a grade school that covers only these elementary years, with nearly seven in ten students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, a figure that signals a community where economic need is a real factor in daily life. Racially, the school is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students, a smaller number of multiracial students, and a handful of Black and Asian students. No data was available on the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners, so a parent interested in those supports should ask the school directly.
Academically, Washington Elementary presents a mixed picture. On the Wisconsin Forward exam, which the state uses to measure grade-level learning, the school's results fall across a range. In third-grade math, just over six in ten students performed at or above the proficiency mark, a solid showing for that group. By fourth grade, that figure dropped to about half, and in fifth grade it was a little under half. In English language arts, the pattern is similar: third grade saw about half of students meeting the bar, while fourth grade dipped to roughly two in five, and fifth grade returned to a little under half. Fourth-grade science results were lower, with about three in eight students proficient, while fourth-grade social studies came in at about half. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index, a composite measure across all tested grades and subjects, sits below the midpoint when compared with other school districts in Winnebago County. The highest-performing district in that county comparison shows a much stronger composite, and the gap is noticeable. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how instruction, support structures, and intervention programs are working, especially in the upper elementary grades where the numbers soften.
Because Washington Elementary serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, which is standard for a school of this grade band. Nor does the data include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access, so those dimensions of school life are not possible to characterize here.
The setting is the city of Oshkosh itself, a mid-sized community with a working waterfront, a manufacturing heritage, and a downtown that has seen redevelopment. Major employers include Oshkosh Corporation, Amcor, and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which is integrated into the city center. The city has a mix of walkable historic districts and more typical car-oriented suburban development. Housing in the ZIP code serving the school shows values that are moderate relative to state and national benchmarks, with the typical home price noticeably below the Wisconsin statewide figure and well below the national one. Rents also sit lower than national averages. For a family considering this school, the housing market is comparatively affordable, and the area offers the amenities of a small city with lake access, a university presence, and seasonal events tied to the EAA convention.
The Oshkosh Area School District is the parent district. No district-level changes, referendums, or curriculum updates were found in the available research material, so that piece is absent from this account.
Washington Elementary is a school that serves a high-needs population in a mid-sized city with an industrial and university base. Its strongest academic showing comes in early elementary math, but overall proficiency trails the county's better-performing districts, particularly as students move into fourth and fifth grade. Families looking at this school should weigh the affordability of the local housing, the school's economic context, and the academic profile, and should plan to have a direct conversation with the school about how it supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.
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